What I've looked up thus far for The Last Kingdom

Bernard Cornwell is insanely prolific. He is British and worked for several years for the BBC before meeting an American woman and moving here. He started writing when he couldn't obtain a Green Card. The Last Kingdom is the first book in his Saxon series. There are 5, I'm not certain if there will be more. He's also written about the Napoleonic Wars (his Sharpe series which has over 20 books and was a BBC series with Sean Bean), the Arturian legend and the 100 Years War.

So, The Last Kingdom is narrated by a boy from Northumbria (now Northern England and South-East Scotland) named Uhtred. His father and older brother get killed in a skirmish with the invading Danish Vikings at Eoferwic (York) and Uhtred becomes a Viking prisoner of sorts, although he's really more of a foster son for one of their leaders. His continuing observations on how Christianity makes the English weak are amusing. I hope the story doesn't turn on some boring Churchy epiphany that makes him turn in his Thor charm.

Cornwell does a good job of making the history immediate and accessible. What most impressed me is that he makes the battle scenes understandable. To me this is traditionally where a narrative gets hopelessly jumbled. And bonus, there is a map.

{Side note, I heard a BBC World Book club podcast the other day with the Indian author Kiran Desai. One reader said it's people's responsibility to look up relevant maps and other research, not the author's while a woman in her book club disagreed. Since Desai says even people who have read her book The Inheritance of Loss think it's about India's border dispute with Pakistan (it's Nepal) and coupled with how shitty most Americans' grasp of geography is, it's a no brainer to me more books should have them. And yes it's ridonkulous people can have read the book and still not be able to keep that shit straight.}

Uhtred's family home, Castle Bamburgh, is now Bamberg and the county seat of Northumberland today. The Castle still exists and is a tourist site. Schedule your wedding there today. Nothing like the site of several ancient bloody sieges for the exchange of vows. Pass the ladyfingers.

The story is a retelling of the exploits of Alfred the Great of Wessex, as seen through Uhtred's eyes. The story opens in 866 AD. Alfred ruled from 871-899. He is of course the Anglo-Saxon king who turned the tide on the Danish invasion of Britain. Wessex, in South-West England, is considered to have lead the unification of Anglo-Saxon England after Alfred's death. It's also where Thomas Hardy was from.

I wonder, if Alfred had failed and Christianity had faded into the dustbins of theology (can't decide if that would be good or bad) and Odin worship were instead the norm would Marvel be putting out The Mighty Jesus comic books these days? I can't imagine they'd be that interesting without Mjölnir.

My understanding is that Alfred is considered a Catholic saint in some quarters but not officially. Nevertheless, Catholic Encylopedia has an article about him.  In addition to beating back the Vikings, he also translated Boethius and Bede (among others) into Anglo-Saxon. There's more info about him here on the official British Monarchy site. Of course.

I'm really digging learning the old Anglo-Saxon names for towns in England. My favorite thus far is Snotengaham which you might conclude by looking at long enough is Nottingham. And look at what I found--a whole blog dedicated to deeper understanding of Cornwell's novels. Apparently Boots (available at select Bath and Body stores) is headquartered there.